Boston marathon stuff selling for crazy money. (Read 352 times)

I didn't buy the Boston Marathon sweatshirt at the expo and now I'm regretting it. Thinking I might get lucky, I typed Boston Marathon shirt into ebay....what I found blew me away.

There are finisher shirts going for over $250 with 15+ bids and days to go on the auction, I saw one of the space blankets bid up over $25, one of the check bags for $26. However, far and away the best was this medal.

Funny enough, even at those prices there is no way I would sell my shirt and medal, but if you want to seems like you could pay for your next 10 or so Boston entries.

Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul.

For all you locals: I spoke to a friend that works at the City Sports on Boylston Street this morning. They have a lot of gear left still at regular price. They have been open on and off the last few days so call before.

mab411

Proboscis Colossus

posted: 4/20/2013 at 1:14 PM

I'm ashamed to admit, among the thoughts I had on that terrible day was, "I bet those finisher items are going to be worth their weight in gold after this." Then I started thinking about all the fraud that would happen along those lines. Then I started getting even more depressed, and tried to think about something else.

I'm also steeling myself for a lot of overpriced items with the BAA logo, or at least the blue/yellow ribbon, on them at the OKC Expo. Items which I'll probably still be tempted to buy, particularly if they claim the proceeds will go to some charity or another (which I also expect).

"God guides us on our journey, but careful with those feet." - David Lee Roth, of all people

northernman

Fight The Future

posted: 4/20/2013 at 1:32 PM

Hard for me to understand this. What value would a finishers medal or a metal blanket be for someone who was not involved in the race at all?

Hard for me to understand this. What value would a finishers medal or a metal blanket be for someone who was not involved in the race at all?

My guess would be that not everyone involved in the race, particularly this year, crossed the finish line.....or was even a registered runner. I don't know that I would pay 300 for a shirt or 1200 for a medal but I guess can see it being worth that much to certain people on Boylston st Monday if they had the money to spend.

Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul.

There is always a big market for the Disney medals. People who accumulate that crap love getting their hands on medals for races they didn't complete. I don't get it, and definitely don't get why someone who isn't a runner would want stuff from this race.

Yes. I don't know who I'm more disgusted with, the runner selling his/her stuff or the buyer collecting this stuff for potentially the most wretched of motives..

- Joe

We are fragile creatures on collision with our judgment day.

JVazz29

posted: 4/21/2013 at 8:50 AM

People have their interests, albeit, some strange ones. There is a market for serial killers stuff. Now there seems to be a market for this and/or terrorism related memorabilia. I like to collect stuff from time to time, sure, but stuff like that, if used outside of education purposes, exploits the incident. I agree with what someone said regarding people feeling 'connected' to this event. This event captured the nation's attention. Our hearts went out to the victims, and we rooted for law enforcement like we would our favorite sports team. I'm in law enforcement, and I know, all I wanted to do was run up there and jump in the fray, do whatever was needed. Hell, even people who aren't law enforcement probably felt the same way. Our nation became unified against a common foe. I mean, this event and the days that followed played out like drama to folks watching it. When was the last time an act of terror occurred on US soil and an intense manhunt immediately followed for the perpetrators? Let alone one being broadcast almost 24 hours? 9/11 perhaps, but that one seemed...different. It didn't take long for us to realize this was an international act by an extremist group, plus, the actual actors were the hijackers. Boston, it didn't take long to realize these suspects were probably still on US soil. Timothy McVeigh & Oklahoma City? That may be the last time, but how many tweets went out about that. How many people caught video of the incident or aftermath on the cell phones. It wasn't that long ago, but it was certainly in a different age. People now are connected more than ever, and whether you live outside of Boston or in California, social media makes the world feel smaller and makes people feel more connected to the events occurring within it.

So, that's my incredibly over the top and way to long way of saying: People feel connected to the event, therefore, they want the stuff.

And while I could really really really use the money right now, but there would be no way I could possibly part with my medal (note: I didn't run it, just stating if I had). I don't like to think I would promote the exploitation of this event, but to be completely honest, I need the cash. The blanket? Sure, why not. I'd like to think any of the medals being sold were taken by some volunteer or race worker who are looking to exploit this terrible event and not the actual people earning it, but that's their perogative...maybe it's for charity, I don't know. I missed out on the Adidas 'Boston' shirt the put out to raise money for the victims. I hate to see what they are going for and I hope people realize they should just hope and wait for a reprint of them so their money goes towards a cause.